An artist's conception shows how the spacecraft for the Inspiration Mars Foundation's 'Mission for America' might be configured — with a crew capsule, an inflatable module similar to the ones built by Bigelow Aerospace, and an attached upper stage that (image by Inspiration Mars)

Millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito's plan to send two astronauts on a 501-day flight that zooms past Mars and swings back to Earth would set plenty of precedents on the final frontier -- but the most intriguing precedent might have to do with the astronauts that are to be sent: one man and one woman, preferably a married couple beyond childbearing years. We're talking about sex in space, folks. And if that's not intriguing enough, consider this: There are already a couple of candidates for the job. 'We're definitely pushing boundaries,' MacCallum said. 'It's definitely going to be hard and challenging. But we can rely on elegance and simplicity.' MacCallum characterized the mission as 'purely philanthropic,' with the aim of inspiring future scientists and engineers as well as bridging the gap in NASA's plans for exploration beyond Earth orbit. Target launch date is Jan. 5, 2018.

Read the rest of the story HERE:At cosmiclog.nbcnews.com

Comments

The time limit for entering new comments on this Quicklink has expired.

This limit can be removed. Our paid membership program is designed to give
you many benefits, such as removing this time limit. To learn more, please click here.